Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-11-18
IN FEAR OF IMMINRET DEATH.
A Great Russian Novsli.t's De.cr,n,,on .,
Dying Mans Thoughts,

0rest Russian Novelist's Description Of a
Dying Mans Thoughts.
Exchanged
=, Count Leo Tolstol in "Sebastopoln
thus describes the fall of she'll: "To
earth" shouted a voice. Mikhailoff
ana Praskoukine obeyed. The latter.
with shut eyes, heard the she'll fall
somewhere on the hard earth very near
MN. A second, which appears to him
an hour, passed, and the shell did not
nurst. Praskoukine was frightened.
then he asked himself what cause Ie
mao Tor fear Perhaps it had fallen
farther away and he wrongly imagined
mat ne heard the fuse kissing near him,
O.pening his eyes he was satisfied to see
Mlkhalloff stretched motionless at his
1eet' put at the same time he perceived.
yard OF, the lighted fuse of the she'll
spinning around like top. A glacial
terror, which stifed every Thought,
every sentiment, took possession of his
soul: He bid his face in his hands,
Another second passed, during which a
whole world of thoughts, of hopes. of
sensations and of souvenirs passed
through his mind. "Whom will Il kin
Me OF Mikhailoh, or indeed both Of us
together? If it is I, where will it hit
me? If in the head it will be all over:
It on the foot they will cut it off. Then
l shall insist that they give me chloro-
torn and l may get we'll. Perhaps
Mlkhallotf alone will be killed and later
will tell how we were close together
ana how was covered with his blood.
NO, no; it is nearer me; it will be II"
Then ne remembered the twelve rubles
he owed Mikhailoff and another debt
left at Petersburg, which ought to have
been paid long ago. A Bohemian air
that he sang the evening before came
to his mind. He also saw in his imagi-
nation the lady he was in love with in
her lilac trimmed bonnet; the man who
had insulted him five years before, and
whom he had never taken vengeance
on. But in the midst of these and
many other souvenirs the present feel
lng--the expectation of death-did not
leave him. Perhaps it isn't going to
exploded" he thought, and was on the
point of opening his eyes with desperate
boldness. But at this instant red fire
struck his eyeballs through the closed
lids, something hit him in the middle
of the chest with a terrible crash. He
ran forward at random, entangled his
feet in his sword, stumbled, and fell on
his side. "God be praised, am only
bruised" This was his first thought,
and he wanted to feel of his breast, but
his hands seemed as if they were tied.
A wise gripped his head, soldiers ran
before his eyes, and he mechanically
counted them: zone, two, three
soldiers, and, besides, an officer who is
losing his cloak" Anewli light flashed;
he wondered what had fred. Was it o
mortar or cannon? Doubtless can
non. Another shot, more soldiers
five, six, seven. They passed in front
Of him, and suddenly he became ter
ribly afraid Of being crushed by them.
He wanted to cry out, to say that he
was bruised, but his lips were dry, his
tongue was glued to the roof Of his
mouth. He had burning thirst. He
felt that his breast was damp, and the
sensation of this moisture made him
think of water. He would have liked
90 drink that which drenched him. II
must have knocked the skin off in fall
ing" he said to himself, more and more
frightened at the idea of being crushed
by the soldiers who were running in
crowds before him. He tried again to
cry out "Take mel" but instead of that
he uttered groan so terrible that he
was frightened at it himself. Then red
sparks danced before his eyes-it
seemed as if the soldiers were piling
stones on him. The sparks danced
more rapidly, the stones piled on him
stifed him more and more. He stretched
himself out; he ceased to see, to hear,
to think, to feel. He had been killed
instantly by a piece of she'll striking
him full in the breast.